This invention relates generally to a medical apparatus for fastening a tube to a part of a body. More specifically, this invention relates to a stabilizing fitting for securing a catheter hub or a syringe body adjacent to a venipuncture site.
Many intravenous lines are placed into patient's daily. A venipuncture can be made in many areas of the body, such as the forearm, back of the hand, upper arm, ankle or foot. In a typical procedure, a catheter is normally inserted into a vein by means of a hollow needle which is then withdrawn to avoid damage to the walls of the punctured vein. The catheter remains attached to the patient and is connected to a source of infusion liquid. It is then necessary to stabilize the catheter to prevent movement which may work the catheter loose and create a potential source of infection or irritation to the patient at the point of catheter insertion. This stabilization is generally done by taping the catheter hub and associated tube fittings to the patient's skin in an area adjacent to the point of catheter insertion.
It is also conventional practice to insert the needle of a syringe into a vein of a patient undergoing medical treatment, and the syringe as well as its attendant fluid feeding tubes are retained on the limb by adhesive tape which is wrapped about the syringe, tubing and the limb of the patient. It is also routine practice to check fluid flow through the syringe by replacing the tubing periodically since collapse of the tubing is sometimes encountered when the fluid introduced to the patient by the syringe has been exhausted. During such a checking procedure, the tubing is removed from the syringe, which sometimes causes the syringe needle to be inadvertently withdrawn from its insertion into the vein of the patient. Obviously, such a procedure is cumbersome and awkward, as well as painful and inconvenient to the patient, especially when reinsertion of the syringe needle is required.
Although it is important to obtain secure stabilization of the inserted catheter or needle, many medical personnel do not have the skill to make a proper stabilizer utilizing ordinary hospital self-adhesive tape. Even when the medical personnel have sufficient skill, such use of adhesive tape is not always desirable. For example, repeated application and removal of adhesive tape from the skin of a long-term patient may damage the skin of the patient and be quite painful.
Accordingly, there has been a need for a novel stabilizing fitting which is useful for securing a catheter hub or a syringe body adjacent to a venipuncture site. Such a stabilizing fitting should be of simplified construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to be understood and used by medical personnel. Additionally, a device is needed which may be readily attached to or detached from the patient without the use of adhesives, and which may be disposed of after use. Moreover, a need exists for such a stabilizing fitting which is easy to place upon the limb of the patient, and is adapted to hold not only the catheter hub or syringe body, but also the tubes feeding fluid to the venipuncture site as well. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.